Co-creating solutions for soil health in Living Labs

The aim of the call is to select providers of innovative technologies that offer advanced solutions for measuring and monitoring

soil health indicators at experimentation sites within the 5 Living Labs of the project:

1. LL1 – Mediterranean Southern Europe (Spain & Portugal) Sustainable permanent cropping system under Mediterranean climate conditions
2. LL2 – Central Europe (Austria, Switzerland) Regenerative agriculture approaches towards organic farming systems
3. LL3 – Germany (National Living Lab) Improving soil health for climate change
4. LL4 – Continental Eastern Europe (Moldova, Romania, Ukraine) Innovative solutions for black soil conservation
5. LL5 – Slovenia (National Living Lab) Conservation Agriculture with crop-livestock integration to enhance soil health

This process seeks to improve the precision of evaluating the impacts of ReCAP (Regenerative and conservation agricultural practices) and promote collaboration between the agricultural and technological sectors.

Through this call, the following results are expected:

• The implementation of innovative technologies in a significant number of lighthouses and

experimentation sites for the monitoring of key soil health indicators over two agricultural seasons.

• The acquisition of precise and relevant data on indicators such as water retention, organic content, microbial

biodiversity, among others.

• The establishment of collaborations between farmers and technology companies, fostering innovation in the agricultural sector.

Eligible Costs:

Maximum amount of financial support for each third party (200 000 €): 

• Total budget: 250 000 €. 

• Maximum funding per technology: 50 000 €. 

A.Submission:

Interested providers are invited to submit their applications by 31 August 2026 (23:59 CET) via this link APPLY NOW. 

The application form may be completed in english.

Incomplete applications or applications that do not comply with the eligibility criteria will be automatically rejected.

Applications should include the following:  

• Proof of registration of the company  

• Documents demonstrating absence of debt to Finance and Social Security Authorities or equivalent entity in other countries (supporting documents)  

• Details of the contact person and company’s website (if available)  

• CV of lead solution developer  

• Brief overview of team composition  

• Methodological approach and technical specifications of the solution, including a brief summary of results obtained so far 

 • Testing plan: what to test, in which Living Lab and in which agricultural system, including a proposed timeline. Please notice the solution should be tested in multiple Living Labs.  

• Impact: Description of how testing within TRAIL4SOIL could support further development of the solution, and potential for scalability.  

• Detailed economic Budget 

All this information should be uploaded in a PDF not exceeding 8 pages.

B.Selection process 

The selection process consists of the following stages: 

Stage 1 – Eligibility Check 

All applications will first be reviewed to ensure they comply with the formal eligibility requirements of the call. Only those meeting these requirements will proceed to the evaluation stage. 

Stage 2 – Evaluation and Scoring 

Eligible applications will be evaluated by an Expert Committee composed of project partners and/or external experts, ensuring independence and absence of conflict of interest. Applications will be assessed against the predefined selection criteria described before in this document. Each application will be scored, based on a scoring system described previously, and a ranking list will be established based on the total score.  

Stage 3 – Clarification and Verification (if required) 

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interviews to verify the feasibility and suitability of the proposed activities. These steps aim to confirm the information provided and do not introduce new evaluation criteria. 

Final Selection 

The final selection will be based on the ranking list, the available budget, and the strategic balance within each Living Lab. All applicants will be informed in writing of the outcome. TRAILS4SOIL reserves the right to relaunch the call if necessary. 

C. Eligibility criteria and Selection criteria 

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria to be considered for evaluation. 

Persons or categories of persons that may receive financial support: 

• Private technology providers offering innovative solutions for soil health monitoring. 

• Technological companies specializing in environmental indicator measurement, capable of adapting their solutions to the specific needs of the experimentation sites within the Living Labs. 

• Collaborating entities that present proposals aligned with the objectives of TRAILS4SOIL and offer viable and effective technologies for soil monitoring. 

Each applicant may submit only one application under this call.  

The applicant must declare the absence of any conflict of interest that could affect the impartial implementation of the proposed activities.  

Applications that do not comply with these eligibility criteria will be rejected.  

Eligible applications will be evaluated against the following criteria: 

1. Technological Innovation: The novelty and degree of innovation of the proposed solutions for measuring soil health (min score: 3; maximum score:5). 
2. Technical Feasibility: Technologies must be viable for implementation at the experimentation sites and adaptable to different agronomic conditions (min score: 3; maximum score:5). 
3. Scalability and Replicability: Priority will be given to solutions that can be replicated at other sites or scaled to a larger number of hectares or crops (min score: 3; maximum score:5). 
4. Contribution to the Project’s Objectives: Proposals must clearly demonstrate how they will contribute to monitoring the benefits of ReCAP (min score: 3; maximum score:5). 
5. Provider Experience: Previous experience in implementing technologies for environmental monitoring will be a key factor. The technology readiness level (TRL) shall be duly taken into account. (min score: 3; maximum score:5). 

Each criterion will be scored on a scale of 1 to 5, and applications will be ranked based on the overall score calculated through a weighted formula. 

1. 1 = poor 
2. 2 = fair 
3. 3 = good 
4. 4 = Very good 
5. 5 = excellent 

P= 20%A+25%B+20%C+20%D+15%E 

The scoring methodology will be applied consistently to all applications. In case of equal scores, priority will be given based on an online interview with the selected candidates. 

D.Timeline  

Call opens: 30 June 2026 

Call closes: 31 August 2026 (23:59 CEST) 

Announcement of selected applications (shortlist): 30 September 2026 

Interviews: 14 to 18 September 2026 

Confirmation of selected companies: 30 October 

Agreements signed: 2-6 November 2026 

For further information, please refer to the information and guidelines published on the call website: https://trails4soil.eu/open-MRV-call/

To ensure a fair and transparent evaluation process, all communication with applicants during the application phase will be managed centrally. All questions related to this Open Call must be addressed to a central contact point: [email protected]. Individual contact with Living Lab leaders regarding the content of the call or the application process is discouraged during the application phase to ensure equal access to information for all applicants. Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) will be published on the project website and updated regularly. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult this page before submitting any queries. Applicants are also encouraged to visit the official TRAILS4SOIL project website for additional information on the Open Call, project objectives, and related activities: trails4soil.eu.